Granit Xhaka is increasingly likely to leave Arsenal this summer amid serious interest from Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal are in advanced talks with the German side over a deal that could be worth in the region of around £13 million.
The 30-year-old has only one year remaining on his current Arsenal contract and there is no expectation that the club will look to extend that deal. There is, however, an option of an extra year, which will help to protect the midfielder’s transfer value this summer.
With Leverkusen understood to be offering a lucrative long-term contract, Xhaka is regarded as likely to return to Germany, where he previously played for Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Xhaka signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2016 and has been a near-constant presence in the team over a turbulent seven-year period, in which was stripped of the captaincy and turned on by the club’s supporters.
In recent seasons he has succeeded in rebuilding that relationship with the Arsenal fans, though, and this year he has consistently produced his best performances in English football.
Xhaka has scored seven goals in all competitions this season, making this the most prolific year of his career as he has thrived in a more advanced midfield role under Mikel Arteta.
Leverkusen are currently managed by former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso, who has been a close friend of Arteta since childhood. Arsenal, meanwhile, are among the clubs who are interested in signing 23-year-old Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby this summer.
Xhaka’s expected departure will help to create space in the Arsenal squad as Arteta and sporting director Edu target at least one central midfielder, if not two, in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal’s top target for the window is West Ham United captain Declan Rice, who could cost more than £80 million, and they are also interested in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Chelsea’s Mason Mount.
Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun has switched his international allegiance from England to the United States. The 21-year-old will therefore not represent England at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship.
Balogun, 21, was born in the United States and has represented the country at international youth level, as well as playing for England’s junior teams. This season he has thrived on loan in France, where he has scored 19 goals for Ligue 1 side Reims.
Balogun’s path to regular first-team football at Arsenal is likely to be blocked by the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, meaning that he is also expected to be sold this summer.
Against the odds, Granit Xhaka has succeeded in reinventing himself this season. For so long a one-paced defensive midfielder, he has shown in the past year that he can also be a genuinely effective and creative box-to-box player.
Xhaka’s performances have won fans over but Arsenal can upgrade
Few saw it coming and it is testament to Xhaka’s resilience and adaptability that he has endured the toughest of storms in north London and ultimately emerged as a better, more complete footballer. This season has been his best ever, with seven goals in 45 appearances so far.
Xhaka has shown he can change himself, then, but sadly he cannot change the laws of time. Arsenal are hoping to move in a new direction in midfield this summer and Xhaka, at 30, no longer represents the future of the club.
Arsenal want fresh energy, new ideas and more powerful legs — West Ham United’s Declan Rice sits atop their list of targets — and, with no new contract expected to be offered, the time seems to have come for Xhaka and the club to go their separate ways.
Is it another example of Arteta’s ruthlessness? Perhaps, but it should also be said that a long-term contract with Bayer Leverkusen would suit Xhaka and his young family as he approaches this next chapter of his career.
There will be mixed feelings among the Arsenal supporters if Xhaka does say his farewells in the coming weeks. There will also be mixed feelings at the club. Xhaka is a hugely influential figure in the dressing room and one of the natural leaders of the squad, but he is also fiery and strong-willed, sometimes to his detriment.
Without doubt, his departure would leave a hole in terms of leadership and experience. In midfield, too, he is a huge presence who has started all but two Premier League games this season. Arsenal will need to replace him and upgrade on him, and they evidently feel that this is the right time to do so.
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